Thousands of students are on university campus accommodation waiting lists

Cost of on-campus rooms has risen in recent years, with Dublin showing highest increase

UCD has raised the price of on-campus rent by an average of 38 per cent since 2014. Photograph: Alan Betson

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The cost to students of on-campus accommodation has increased markedly in recent years across all seven universities, with students in Dublin universities seeing the largest rise.

Thousands of students are on waiting lists for campus rooms, with nearly all college accommodation fully booked up.

University College Dublin’s student rooms are the most expensive, with accommodation costing between €6,792 and €8,334 in September. UCD has raised the price of on-campus rent by an average of 38 per cent since 2014.

The college reserves 1,035 beds for first-year students, and there are currently 3,500 applicants for those rooms. Campus accommodation in DCU, University of Limerick, University College Cork, and NUI Galway is also almost fully booked.

Government rent caps limiting annual increases to 4 per cent do not apply to student residences, as they fall under “licence to reside” agreements and are not official tenancy leases.

Trinity College Dublin increased its rent by 10 per cent for this September, after residences rates were bumped up by 4 per cent last year. Accommodation costs for the college year range from €5,546 at Trinity Halls in Rathmines to €7,165 in the front square.

The cost of NUI Galway on-campus accommodation rose by 3 per cent last year to about €5,000 per room. A spokeswoman said the price of existing residences would not increase in September.

The cost of a room on DCU’s Glasnevin campus is €5,562 for the year, after a 9 per cent rise in prices last year, and another 5 per cent increase from this September.

University of Limerick increased its rent by 4 per cent last year, and the college has agreed another 1.5 per cent rise for September. The cost of accommodation now ranges from €4,061 to €5,895.

The cost accommodation at University College Cork is between €4,736 and €5,252, and did not increase this year.

In NUI Maynooth the cost ranges from €4,580 to €5,834, this year, after a 2 per cent increase from September.

Around 33 per cent of students live on campus or in privately run student housing, according to a recent study by the Union of Students in Ireland. Some 31 per cent of students surveyed live in private rental accommodation.

Trinity College Dublin made €6.3 million from its accommodation rents in the 2016/17 college year, after taking in €10.3 million in rent, according to documentation obtained under the Freedom of Information act.

UCD brought in €18 million from campus rent in 2015, for a profit of €10.2 million after maintenance costs. NUI Maynooth made €1.4 million after taking in €3.6 million from rents in the college year 2016/17.